Doctor visit: The four-year checkup

Member comments

Ingesting fluoride is quite different from topical application to the teeth via toothpaste - which you spit out. The ingestion of fluoride (think fluoridated water)has been associated with a higher incidence of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) in little boys. No thanks!

In Europe, they do/did not add fluoride to the water (at least they didn't when my peers were growing up). As a result, they all have horrible teeth! All my friends from Europe who have moved here have told me how lucky I am to have been here drinking water with fluoride because I have strong, healthy teeth. Compare teeth of Americans to that of our counterparts around the world where fluoride was not in the water. You will see a huge discrepancy in tooth health. Yes, fluoride is NOT good for an infant which is why the infant toothpastes do NOT contain it. But we're talking about 4 yr olds... not infants.

flouride is important for bone and teeth development, why do you think they put it in tooth paste? when children are younger its a different story but this is talking about 4 yr olds here and everyone who was ever 4 and brushed their teeth is just fine :)

You can have the foreskin retracted by a doctor with anesthesia and do not have to have a full circumcision. We had to do this for our son at age 3 when his penis began ballooning while urinating. It was a simple, quick procedure with little to no recovery. A year later - no complications and his foreskin retracts for cleaning very easily.

OMG I don't know who this annoymous woman from 7/30 is but you NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER retract the foreskin from your sons penis. You can cause so much serious horrible damage. You leave it alone and it will between the ages of 1 and puberty retract on its own. Whatever happend to her son is unfortunate but it was not because they didn't retract the foreskin at birth, she is misinformed. Personally I feel circumcision is a horrible out dated practice, but to each their own, whether it be for personal or religious reasons, but cleanliness is never the issue here. More recent studies have found that there is NO reason to circumcise, other then your religious beliefs.

I have to completely disagree with Tamberly's comment... this is coming from a mother who's son was not circumcised at birth and did not pull back the foreskin as much as she should have. My son at age 7 had to undergo a circumcision in which the foreskin had already started sticking onto the head of the penis. He never had an infection, but it got so bad that it hurt to urinate. The foreskin could not retract at all. My suggestion to everyone is get your son circumcised at birth, but if for any reason you do not or can&#8217;t please retract the foreskin even if they complain. The surgery at an older age is not as simple as when they are a baby and it is VERY painful for them.

It is true that most medical professionals were taught that intact infant boys needed to have their foreskin pulled back right away or else adhesions MAY make the foreskin stick to the glans, making initial retraction painful later on. However, in recent years, the medical industry has made a change, and it is now recommended to leave it alone until the child retracts it himself, anywhere from 1 year old to puberty. My two boys are both intact, and both not retracted, and neither has ever had a urinary tract or yeast infection. Our bodies have built-in cleansing abilities. Do you douche with water during every shower or bath? I hope not. The same goes for the male population. As long as you keep the outer area clean, our body takes care of itself, with the occasional retraction and rinsing, or for women, douching. Please educate yourself with opinions other than vague blogs and internet articles written by non-medical professionals, rather than calling someone's doctor a liar.

Uh, that's a lie. Everyone I know was told to pull back the foreskin that way it's not stuck forward his whole life etc... PLUS, how do you think you clean an uncircumsized penis? You pull back the foreskin...otherwise the boy will have a billion yeast infections and that's just disgusting. Your doctor is on crack...and your research was apparently poor.

Hmmm, well I just took my daughter to her 4 yr well-check visit and the dr didn't do all the things listed above. I have always taken her to a pediatrician, but this year I decided to go to our family dr. WAS THAT A MISTAKE? I was disappointed in a sense, since the visit seemed like a regular dr visit, except he did ask me some of the questions listed. There was no hearing test, don't recall him testing her eyes, no blood pressure test, just basic appt, except for the shots... what to do???

The doctor doesn't or shouldn't check your childs foreskin. The foreskin should not be retracted by anyone but the child himself. I have two boys and neither are circumcised and all the research I have read and all the doctors have told me not to pull it back. If your doctor pulls back the foreskin then he should be reported to the medical board, as this is dangerous and possibly cause issues for the boy all his life.

My son is also 4 yrs old and not ceircumsized either. They dont check it at doctor visits unless you ask them to. Just make sure you are pulling the fore skin all the way back after he uses the bathroom and gets out of the bath or pool. If it stays wet then it can get infected. I hope this information was helpful for you.

I'm always sorry this place is for comments and not for questions, because I have many :)
Has anyone had their little boy's penis checked? My son is turning four soon, he's not circumsized and as far as I know the doctor should check it. Is that so? Or if not, what am I to do?
THANKS!

This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional. Please review the Terms of Use before using this site. Your use of the site indicates your agreement to be bound by the Terms of Use.

This site is published by BabyCenter, L.L.C., which is responsible for its contents as further described and qualified in the Terms of Use.